Movies

Bad lessons from good movies

Wired’s Geek Dad has a Top 10 list that I have often thought about, “Top 10 Bad Messages From Good Movies.” I actually don’t agree with everything on his list, but his #2 is one that I have often asserted, albeit from a slightly different angle. (His take is below.) I despise The Little Mermaid because it is fundamentally a story about a girl who throws a tantrum and does whatever she wants, jeopardizing the world in the process and causing her father and friends to be made into seaweed, BUT in the end she gets what she wants. With no repercussions for her actions. Moral? Do whatever you want and someone will be sure to pick up the pieces after you.

2. It’s OK to completely change your physical appearance and way of life for the person you love, even if he makes no sacrifices at all (from The Little Mermaid). This movie has the single most appalling ending of any Disney movie ever made, which is a shame because, apart from that, it’s a great film. I just cannot comprehend how anyone could make a movie in the late 1980s with this message, which is not exactly subtle: Ariel gives up her home, her family, and BEING A MERMAID because she loves Eric so. And he gives up … nothing. Yeah, that marriage is off to a great start.

Review of Up, the new Pixar film

Jun 1st, 2009

by Christian Brady.

3 comments

As I mentioned yesterday this weekend we took the kids to see the new Pixar film Up. (I could have sworn there was an exclamation mark after the title, Up!) I have stated often that I am a huge fan of Pixar films, but I am a fan of “childrens” films in general. What has always made Pixar films stand out, and in the best traditions of such films as Dumbo and the Jungle Book, is that the film manages to engage and speak to not only the kids but the parents as well. This is more than just the “adult” jokes in Shrek, this is about themes and passages that younger children often won’t notice, at least not on their first watching. My favorite film is The Incredibles which manages to please older fans of Bond and sci-fi movies, tug at the hearts of parents and speak to family dynamics and pubescent change, while engaging the kids of all ages with the action and comedy. Compare that with The Little Mermaid who is a spoiled brat who gets her way in the end, after nearly killing everyone.¹

Up lives up to my expectations of a Pixar film. The film is fundamentally about an old man living out a long delayed adventure with a boy as his all too willing sidekick. The movie opens (no real spoiler here) with a 4 minute montage of the life Carl Fredricksen and his childhood sweetheart and wife Ellie, ending with her death on a hospital bed. I think very few adults had a dry eye and we were only a few minutes into the film. The pathos of this loss pervades the film and while our 11.5 year old daughter was in tear at various points our 5 year old son understood that Ellie was gone, but was not overwhelmed with grief (as I was at points).

The film moves up and on as Carl decides to fulfill the one wish that he and Ellis shared from childhood, to travel to Paradise Falls in South America. From that point the action is fast-paced with just the right amount of humor. There is the 8 year old unintentional stowaway Russel, dogs that talk, and a fight featuring a sword and a walker. Good stuff!

Up manages to find that balance between dealing with “adult” issues of how we live our lives (and grieve our losses) and keeping the action and humor coming in large doses. This is (another Pixar) film that will bear watching many times and at many ages.

Wired.com has two excellent articles relating to Up. The first is Top Ten Things Parents Should Know About Pixar’s Up. It is a great list and touches on such important questions as “What’s the best time for a bathroom break” and “Do I need to sit through the credits for some sort of bonus movie at the end.” The second brief article examines whether or not you could actually lift a house with balloons. I sense a MythBusters episode.

Finally, a techinical note. We were able to watch this in 3D. I was quite worried about that. Most 3D efforts I have ever watched have awkward glasses that never work for those of us who wear glasses required for seeing real life. Apparently technology has improved.² These battery-operated polarized glasses were activated by the movie itself and were transparent, aside from the added weight on my nose. The theatre even included head straps for those in the audience with smaller crania.

Th 3D worked very well in this film since the scenes flying through the cloudes and above the ground were given real depth. Don’t look for lots of objects flying in your face causing you to duck, there are some, but mostly you are simply left in awe at the beautiful images created. It all feels so gorgeous.

Needless to say this movie gets the nod from Targuman. Well worth seeing with the family and it will be on my Christmas list as soon it is out on DVD.

An amusing comparison of Pixar and Dreamworks films can be found here. [↩]
I spent a few minutes searching the web to find out what kind of glasses are used but without success. Too much noise, as it were. I believe they were “Active Glasses.” [↩]

Buy n Large

Jun 28th, 2008

by Christian Brady.

4 comments

I saw WALL•E with my son yesterday evening (we had a boys weekend since the girls were in NYC watching ballet with Grandmommy). I may comment further on it later, but a couple of points. WALL•E boots up to the sound of a Macintosh chime. The Apple connections are always aplenty. (BTW, in one of the first scenes as WALL•E cleans up keep your eyes peeled for a vehicle from another Pixar film.)

Buy n Large, the company responsible for polluting and evacuating earth, as well as creating all of the robots, cups, clothes, etc. that are in the movie has their own website. You could easily spend a LOT of time poking around that site. I am personally eager for WEND•E the washing bot, but the regenerative liver technology is a must-have for many, especially in Hollywood. There are many more worthwhile moments of humor on the site. For example, their small print says in part:

Any information that is submitted to Buy n Large via its website or other online properties becomes the sole property of the Buy n Large corporation and may be used in any way the Buy n Large corporation deems advantageous. This includes, but is not limited to, selling and leasing customer information.

Their “Privacy Policy ” is even better. It begins

In order to access services through our site, you must provide us with certain personal information such as your name, your Vari-Credit number and expiration date, your Vari-Credit billing address, your telephone number, your e-mail address and the name or names of the person(s) in your immediate family. We may also ask you for other personal information, such as your medical history.

All acquired customer information becomes the property of the Buy n Large corporation and can be used (but is not limited to) any venture the Buy n Large Corporation deems beneficial to it. By visiting Buy n Large (or a Buy n Large partner) the user agrees to relinquish (if requested) any personal assets that may be deemed “usable” by the Buy n Large Corporation; this includes (but is not limited to) real estate, stock holdings, user transportation, employment income and the users “soul” (either real or imagined, regardless of spiritual or religious affiliation).

By visiting the Buy n Large website you become a registered member of the Buy n Large Database. You may not unsubscribe to this database at any time.

WALL•E contains a good amount of social commentary (Al Gore is on Apple’s board, after all) about our consumption habits and treatment of the earth. It is more heavy handed than in most Pixar films. In fact, I am not sure I can remember any of their movies that had any sort of agenda. Even so, it was a very amusing and enjoyable film. The characters of WALL•E, EVE, and the Captain are excellent and fun. I think it is worth seeing in the theatre, but you will not miss much if you wait for it on DVD.

The harder question posed by a student, is it better than Kung Fu Panda? I am not sure. I think KFP was a more enjoyable experience over all. WALL•E’s story line seems somewhat thin in comparison. The animation, however, remains impeccable with Pixar. The even mix in live footage of human actors that seems completely natural in context.

My final verdict: It is not anywhere near The Incredibles or Monsters, Inc. but it is on par with Cars. I will buyt it on DVD and going back on Sunday to see it with the ladies of the house.

Prince Caspian

May 17th, 2008

by Christian Brady.

2 comments

We just saw the movie and I thought I would jot a few thoughts down. First, they took great liberties with the story, but as a movie it was very, very good. Second, I am not sure how many liberties they took; I am going to have to go back and reread the book (and I just read it to my daughter last month!). And finally,

Eddie Izzard as Reepiceep was bwrilliant!

I just came across this review (which panned the movie) with this “delicious”¹ quote:

In this new, overwrought “Narnia,” we get villainous invaders known as Telmarines, who look like the fugitive offspring of the Spaniards in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age.”

He obviously didn’t read the book or listen to Aslan at the end of the movie either. They are the “fugitive offspring of the Spaniards” from Elizabeth’s day!

When I was in NYC I heard this term used by many to describe everything from someone’s boss to a building. The food, on the other hand, was described as “intelligent” and “engaging.” [↩]